KRM Branch 21stJune 2021
We chose the theme Fungi because, typically, fungi are starting to appear in early winter.
Heather Adamson’s presentation provided audience members with more knowledge about how to differentiate between the various types and species of fungi they might encounter on their walks through Nature Reserves. Heather’s first comment was not to expect fungi to appear in the exact location every year. The fine spores can travel a considerable distance and create new populations.
Heather started her presentation with a discussion of gilled fungi. Things to look out for are the spacing, the attachment to the stype (stem), the margin, color and thickness and depth, and whether they are branched or unbranched. She then showed examples of the gills in different species. She stated that it is best to use a mirror to inspect the gills rather than uprooting the fungus. Next, she explained the features of the stype (or stem), with things to consider being the shape, size, texture, consistency, and whether there is a veil on the stype. Heather then provided examples of these features. The next part discussed was the cap, with things to look out for being the size (height and width), shape (from young to mature), moisture, texture, and others such as odor, exudations, and bruising. The spore print is also another feature used to identify gilled fungi. Many examples were then shown ranging from tiny Mycena sp. to large Amanita sp., Russula sp. and Boletus sp. Heather then discussed some other types of fungi, including coral, puffball, stinkhorn, Red Fingers, crust, shelf, and micro fungi. Fungi are seen to appear even after fires, and Heather highlighted some of the species to expect.
Heather finished her presentation by discussing some of the specimens that she had brought along. It was a good turnout with several visitors also present. The audience expressed their thanks to Heather for her very informative and exciting talk.
Colin Prickett